Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-12-19
elluntll's Column.
On Being Pleasant.

Says Mr.. Thackery about that
nice boy Give Newcomb: Il don't
know that Give was especially bril-
liant, but he was pleasant :"
Occasionally we meet people to
whom it seems to come natural to be
pleasant; such are as welcome where
ever they 90 as flowers in May, and
the most charming thing about them
Is that they help to make other people
pleasant too. Their pleasantness is
conta gious.
The other morning we were in the
midst of three days rain. The
fire smoked, the dining-room was
chilly, and when we assembled for
breakfast, papa looked rather grim,
and mamma tired, for the baby had
been restless all night. Polly was
plainly inclined to fretfulness, and
Bridget was undeniably cross, when
Jack came in with the breakfast
rolls from the bakers. He had
taken off his rubber coat and boots
in the entry, and he came in rosy
and smiling.
''Here's the paper, sir, said he
to his father with such a cheerful
tone that his fathers brow relaxed,
and he said, ''ah, Jack thank you"
quite pleasantly.
His mother looked up at him smil
ing, and he just touched her cheek
gently as he passed.
1.-The top of the morning to you,
Pollywog," he said to his little Sis
ter, and delivered the rolls to Bird
get with a ''Here youj are, Bridget.
Aren't you sorry you didn't 60 to
get them yourself this beautiful day.
He gave the fire a poke and open
ed a damper. The smoke ceased,
and presently the Goals began to
glow, and five minutes after Jack
came in, we had gathered around the
table and were eating our oatmeal
as cheerily as possible. This seems
very simple in the telling, and Jack
never knew he had done anything
at all, but he had in fact changed the
whole moral atmosphere of the room.
and had started a gloomy day pleas
antly for five people.
''He is always So said his moth
er when l spoke to her about it af-
forwards, ''just so sunny and kind,
and ready all the time. l suppose
there are more brilliant boys in the
world than mine, but none with
kinder heart or a sweeter temper. l
am sure of that.
And l thought, ''Why isn't a dis
position worth cultivating? Isn't
it ones duty to be pleasant. just as
well as to be honest, or truthful, or
industrious or generous? And yet,
while there are a good many honest,
truthful, industrious and generous
souls in the world, and people who are
unselfsh too. after fashion a person
who is habitually pleasant is rather
a rarity. l suppose the reason is
because it is such hard work to act
pleasant when one feels cross. Very
few people have courage of that
cheeriest of men, Mr.. Mark Tapley,
who made it a point of honor to
''keep jolly" under the most de-
pressing circumstances.
People whose dispositions are nat
urally irritable or unhappy, think it
no use trying to be otherwise: but
that is a mistake. Any one can be
pleasant who wants to. If one will
patiently and perseveringly try to
keep always pleasant, after a while
one will get in the habit of smiling
instead OF frowning, looking bright
instead of surly. and giving kind
word instead of a cross one. And
if some of the boys who read thu
paper should chance to be of the
kind who only act pleasantly wher
they feel like it, 1 wish they would
think of what l say, and try and SCI
If am not right. And the beaut!
of it, as l said before, that pleasant
ness is catching, and long befort
they viii find themselves in the mids
of a world full of bright and happ.
people, where every one is. AS good
natured and contented as they are
Christian at Work.